


Home With Broken Hearts

by bucketmouse



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/F, F/M, One-Sided Relationship, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-17
Updated: 2012-03-17
Packaged: 2017-11-02 01:43:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/363624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bucketmouse/pseuds/bucketmouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the 74th Hunger Games, Madge and Gale find something of an understanding with one another in being the ones left behind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home With Broken Hearts

It's a Sunday that he knocks on her door, just Gale this time, with probably the last crop of strawberries the season has to offer. Without Katniss there to lubricate the conversation, Gale and Madge's exchanges are stilted at best. She considers just paying him and leaving it at that, but something stops her as she counts out the coins. His game bag is empty, this is his last stop of the day. No meat to worry about going bad before he gets home.

"Do you want to come in?" Madge asks, before she can second-guess herself. Gale is as startled as she'd expect him to be, so she offers the reason before he can object. "They'll be on next, the announcer just said."

There's no question as to who she means by that. Gale has watched the Hunger Games as often as the power and schedule allows for. Madge, being the mayor's daughter, has both power and time in spades. She hasn't missed a thing. 

Gale looks back, as if the answer was somewhere behind him, and Madge can see the conflict on his face before he turns back to face her and nods wordlessly.

The best place to watch the games is in public, where the capital makes sure the power is always going strong. But when they last saw the tributes from District 12, they were holed up in a cave together. Whatever happens, Gale doesn't want his reaction to be seen in public. Madge just doesn't like watching the games alone. 

Madge's father is out, and her mother is upstairs in bed. If her and Gale weren't both so enamored with someone else to even see each other it would have been a scandalous situation for her to be alone with him, making space on the sofa and sitting within arm's reach. They never look at each other, though. They keep their eyes glued to the screen as the Caesar makes the announcements just for the audience, lists the sponsors (District Twelve has _so many_ , probably more than all of their sponsors from the last six years worth of games combined) gives the audience a quick update on the death count (poor little Rue, though the flowers were only shown once, they replay Katniss singing to her so many times that Madge hears it in her sleep), any important events that might have happened as of late, then cuts right to the action. the summary was rather short, there must be something going on.

Katniss and Peeta take the screen, the space is so small that it can't help but be an intimate shot. Madge shifts uncomfortably, this has made her feel like such a voyeur as of late. Gale leans in, just slightly, never blinking. So much attention has been paid to Katniss and Peeta, more so than usual when it comes to the contestants talking and not slaughtering each other. Madge hopes so much that this is a good sign. 

Madge and Gale watch as Katniss and Peeta talk about home, Katniss tells Peeta how she got Primrose her goat. 

"That's now how it happened." Gale says when the commercials come on, filling Madge in on the details that Katniss fudged for the sake of the cameras. 

"She knows they're being filmed." Madge says with a small smile. It's so like her. She wouldn't want to get anyone in the Hob in trouble. When the commercial is over, it cuts to the career tributes, then spends some time on the girl Katniss called Foxface. She's a darling as well, the way she narrowly avoids traps and obstacles, making everyone else look the fool as she keeps stealing little pieces of victory. Katniss and Peeta will be back on soon, though, so Gale doesn't leave. 

"... I always thought the two of you would be together, you know." Madge says during a quiet moment while Clove and Cato are cleaning their weapons, talking strategy. "You spent so much time together. It seemed like destiny."

She wonders if it was the wrong thing to say, by the way Gale's jaw tightens, she can see the muscles in his neck stand out as he tries to swallow down whatever feelings threaten to spill out.

"Me too." He confesses instead, his voice tight with emotion. "You're in the same boat though, aren't you?"

Madge feels the color drain from her face at the accusation. She didn't think anyone had ever noticed. 

"You didn't seem to care about the games any of the other years, no more than you had to. This year you're always watching them though. You have a thing for Peeta, don't you?" Gale accuses without looking away. It's a gentle accusation, an understanding. _We are the ones left behind._

Madge smiles, sadly. 

"Is it so obvious?" She asks. "Anyway, a lot of girls like him. I'm hardly the only girl sitting at home with a broken heart because of Katniss Everdeen." 

"If it's any consolation, I'm sorry things didn't work out between you two." 

"Only because that would mean you'd have a clear shot at Katniss." Madge teases gently. 

Gale actually smiles, laughs. They go quiet again as the scene cuts back to Peeta and Katniss, more conversation, more talk of home. Of families and friends they both insist that they'll be seeing again, trying to convince each other as much as themselves. Peeta isn't doing well, he'll need a miracle. Madge's father has already scraped together what he can for a district sponsorship, but Madge is going to see if he can't get in contact with Haymitch and figure _something_ out...

When it seems like Katniss and Peeta are done being the featurette for the night, Gale takes his leave. Madge sends him home with some extra dinner to take home to his family. He almost doesn't take it, but she gives him a stern look and explains that her mother barely eats anything anymore and her father probably won't be back until much much later -- either Gale takes it or the food will go bad, and Katniss would never forgive him for that. 

He promises to split it with the Everdeens and takes his leave. 

Madge goes back to the couch then. They're doing a highlights reel for the day. The cameras run 24/7, but there's plenty of time when all the Tributes are sleeping, especially as their numbers get culled down. They use that time to refresh the interesting bits, to cut together stories and personalities rather than just twenty-four scared children in a life-or-death situation for the benefit of the state. 

Katniss is still wearing the mockingjay pin that Madge gave her, and Madge has to smile sadly at that. 

She should have volunteered for Primrose instead of letting Katniss do it, Madge thinks to herself. She would have died, probably in the blood bath at the cornucopia. There was no way her nor Peeta would have survived if it was just the two of them. But Katniss Everdeen is a survivor -- she loves things that keep her alive, keep her family alive. Even if she had died, Madge knows that volunteering for Primrose would have secured her place in Katniss' heart forever, instead of making her the sad girl back home who is one of many people who have had their heart broken by Katniss Everdeen -- though not the way Gale thought.

"I guess we're more similar than he realizes, aren't we, Katniss?" Madge asks the screen quietly. When Katniss leans in to kiss Peeta, Madge can let her eyes unfocus and pretend that the blond receiving Katniss' attention is her own.


End file.
